Winter Holidays

Harry & David is bolstering its store fleet for the upcoming holiday season.

When holiday shopping madness kicks off on Thanksgiving Day, at least 121 malls will be sitting on the sidelines.

The holiday shopping season is upon us. For retailers, these last three months of the year signify a marathon of competitive sales strategies to increase foot traffic and maximize profits.    According to the National Retail Federation, the holiday season can represent as much as 30% of annual sales. To adapt to shifting consumer trends and meet peak season demands, stores plan to increase both hours of operation and staff onsite.  

In a move to step up their customer experiences, more retailers are embracing artificial intelligence (AI).   This was according to the third quarterly “2017 E-commerce Performance Index,” a report from SLI Systems.   According to the data, 54% of companies reported they are using or plan to add AI in the future. The largest group of these respondents (20%) expect to add AI within the next 12 months.  

As it heads into its most important selling season, Sears Holding Corp. is receiving another cash infusion from its CEO and largest shareholder.   Sears is borrowing $100 million from units of CEO Eddie Lampert's hedge fund ESL Investments for "general corporate purposes," according to a regulatory filing. The new infusion brings the total of Lampert's outstanding loans to Sears to $499.4 million.   

One of the most closely watched holiday forecasts has good news for retailers.   The National Retail Federation said it expects holiday retail sales in November and December to increase between 3.6% and 4% for a total of $678.75 billion to $682 billion. In 2016, up from $655.8 billion last year. The NRF forecast, which excludes automobiles, gasoline and restaurants, would meet or exceed last year’s growth of 3.6% and the five-year average of 3.5%.   

From parking lots and roofs filled with snow to sustained below-freezing temperatures, winter brings with it a long list of facility maintenance concerns for retailers. Here are some tips to ensure facilities are properly vetted for cold weather.

Someone forgot to tell At Home that big-box stores are passé. Or that a retailer needs to sell online to be successful.

Since Lee Bird took the reins as chief executive at the beginning of 2013, the Plano, Texas-based home decor superstore retailer has been on a steep upward trajectory — and it shows no signs of losing momentum anytime soon.

Fake news. Or, at the very least, over-exaggerated news. That’s what I call the reports about the death of retail. Retail sales are up $121.5 billion (through the first seven months of the year) and the holiday forecasts look promising, with Deloitte predicting a healthy 4 to 4.5% increase over last season.

The nation's largest toy retailer wants everyone to take some time out to play.    Toys "R" Us announced that, this fall, it is launching "play labs" at 42 stores where kids (and parents) can play with some of the season's hottest toys. The retailer said that adults can use the lab to test the items on kids' holiday lists to check for age appropriateness before they make a purchase.